Remarks Following Interview on CNN's Late Edition With Wolf Blitzer

QUESTION: What do you say to reports that say that members of the House and Senate Intelligence Committees are blasting the pre-Iraq war data as outdated and sketchy and not true enough to justify the war? Do you have any reaction to that?

SECRETARY POWELL: Well, the CIA has reacted to that comment by standing behind their assessment, standing behind the National Intelligence Estimate that they provided to the Congress at Congressional request last fall.

And so, the CIA has also suggested that Mr. Goss and Ms. Harman dig a little deeper into the material they have been provided, so I hope they will do that. But Director Tenet stands behind his assessment.